The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-05-28

The Illinois House Of Representatives
has passed bill prohibiting all kinds of
labor and traffic on the Sabbath day. 1t Is
now in order for the House TO pass bill
prohibiting lis own members drawing 50
per diem salary for every day in the week,
including the Sabbath day, To labor on
the Sabbath day is contrary TO the divine
law, but to draw pay for labor on the Sab
bath day when no labor is performed is
theft; that is TO say, it is grabbing money
without rendering an equivalent, either OF
service or otherwise.-Chicdg0 J0arHaL
The above sort Of talk may pass for
smartness, but il is a cheap specimen Of
the article, and there is no sense in it. OF
course the law that gave our Legislators s.
per day meant TO Include Sunday, or, in
other words, meant to pay them at the rate
of $3J per week, and If some smiling pur-
itan had insisted on excluding Sunday, and
allowing pay for but SIX days Of each week
the rate would most likely have been fixed
at SO day. But what sense would there
have been in excluding Sunday? At least
halt the pay of our Legislators goes to pay
ing hotel or board bill . Do these stop on
Sunday?
Then rs to this whole Sunday business
which day of the week is Sunday, or the
Sabbath or the weekly day of rest con
templated by the Decalogue? A majority
of Christians say it is the first day of the
seek-one set saying 1t begins at & o'clock
Saturday evening and ends AT 6 o'clock Sun.
day evening; another division saying the
day begins at II O'clock Saturday night
and ends at f. o'clock Sunday night. Then
another very respectable body of Christians
hold that Saturday, or the the 18th day Of
the week, Is the biblical sabbath, and
must be observed as such; and with them
agree the whole of that large and respecta-
BILE body of citizens known AS Jews. Then
the Mahommetans-f the constitution of
the United States tolerates ANA throws the
aegis of its protection over all religions
alike maintain that Friday is the Mosaic
Sabbath day axd enforce its observance
with the most rigid sanctions. The Parsee
insists that Thursday is the only hebdoma-
del holy day; and the Chinese still have
another day; and so in all the heterogene-
Gus population of the United States, we
have no doubt it would be easy to find ev-
cry day of the week recognized by one
body of religionists or another as the proper
Sabbath or sacred day of rest. Shall the
law, under a constitution which is equally
tolerant of all religions, undertake to pre-
scribe one particular day of the week as
the Sabbath for all i? Doubtless in Chris,
tian community where nine tenths of the
people are agreed on the particular day of
the week that ought to be observed as the
Sabbath, the remaining tenth should not he
allowed 10 pursue their secular avocations
in such way as To disturb the worship or
rest of the vast majority but to compel one
Seventh Day Baptist brother, or Jewish
brother, to stop hoeing his corn, for exam
pie, on Sunday because 1t harrows the re.
iigious feelings of his Methodist neighbor,
would that be righteous law?
But to get back to our Legislators, is s. a
day-including Sunday-really extrava-
CANT pay for them Considering that il
costs them at least 81 day to live decently
In Springfield, how many men, fit to occu-
by a seat In our state legislature, can afford
10 give their entire service for six months
in year away from home, for the remain
ing 81 day? 1t is possible that to a cor.
siderable proportion of our present law
makers at Springfield their present per
diam is good pay but In the main they are
men that ought not to be there. OF the
really valuable and useful members, we
doubt If there Is one In ten who Is not out